Horse owners, enthusiasts and industry members are invited to register for educational opportunities in September and October. Events include the Tennessee Master Horse Program, Horse Management Field Days, Lower Middle Tennessee Horse College, and UT Horse Judging Contest. Opportunities to participate are open throughout the state and span across ages, knowledge levels and equine management topics.

These events are presented through the combined efforts of faculty and staff with University of Tennessee Extension and the UT Department of Animal Science.

The Tennessee Master Horse Program (TMHP) is an educational program designed to provide science-based information on nutrition, health, management and care to all equine owners and those interested in equine well-being. Through a combination of classroom learning, hands on activities and real-life application the TMHP delivers information for owners to implement best management practices and improve equine care. A TMHP course is being offered by extension agents from Blount, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs and Monroe counties and is open for all to register, even if participants reside outside of these counties. The program consists of educational presentations and activities on the evenings of Sept. 12 (6-9 p.m.), Sept. 14 (4-8 p.m.), Sept. 19 (6-9 p.m.), Sept. 21 (6-9 p.m.), Sept. 26 (6-9 p.m.) and Sept. 28 (6-9 p.m.) across the Sweetwater, Knoxville, Alcoa and Athens area. Registration is $175.00 per participant and covers educational materials, meals and incentives upon completion of the course. For more information or to register, contact your local county extension office or visit UTHorse.com.

Ever wonder how to get rid of weeds in your horse pasture, what plants might be problematic to your horse or how to determine what nutrients are provided to your horse from forages? Come to the Horse Management Field Days to get the answers to these questions, and many more. Field days are being offered from 4-8 p.m. local time in the Eastern Region on Sept. 14 at the JARTU Facility in Knoxville, Central Region on Sept. 21 at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Spring Hill, and Western Region on Sept. 28 at Lone Oaks Farm in Middleton. The events are free to attend and include dinner. Please RSVP for meal planning purposes to jzivey@utk.edu or call 865-974-7286.

UT Extension representatives from lower middle Tennessee counties have developed a Horse College covering equine health, pasture management, nutrition and much more. The program covers three evenings: Sept. 7 (6-8 p.m.) in Columbia, Sept. 14 (6-8 p.m.) and Sept. 21 (4-8 p.m.) in Spring Hill. The cost is $10 to register per person. For more information contact the Lawrence County Extension Office at 931-762-5502.

Calling all 4-H, FFA, breed association, and intercollegiate horse judgers! The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is hosting a Youth and Intercollegiate Judging Contest at Elder’s Last Lap Ranch in Maryville. The contest is open to youth in grades 4-12 for the 2017-2018 school year, and all collegiate judging team members. Registration fee is $25 per person and includes lunch. For more information or to register, contact Lacey Johnston at ljohnst8@utk.edu​ or 865-974-6390.

Act now to reserve your spot at these events. For some events, the number of participants is limited, so early registration is important.

Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu.